Revenge
by mcat
Summary: Someone from Lundy's past means trouble for LaFiamma slash content...


Revenge 

By Mcat - [mcat40@hotmail.com][1]

April 10, 1999

Rated - R/Slash 

Disclaimer - No, I don't own any of the Houston Knights characters. Only in my dreams…

Revenge 

"Come on Stevie, how much longer are we gonna wait?" Frank asked. "Why don't you just take him out?"

"Because, that would be too easy," Stevie replied. "I went through six years of hell in prison because of him. I lost everything

and everyone I ever cared about because of him."

"Yeah, so? Kill him," Frank said.

"Don't you get it Frank? I want this man to hurt!" she said, getting out her binoculars again. "I want to find out who and what

Levon Lundy cares about. I want him to know what it feels like to lose someone."

"He already lost his wife," Frank offered, hoping to get the job over with.

"I want to SEE him hurting. I want to SEE his heart break for myself," Stevie replied, watching the two men parked in the

Jimmy down the street.

~~

"LaFiamma, don't you know anything?" Lundy asked, shaking his head.

"I know that this guy is gonna book on you if you don't keep your eyes on that back door," Joe countered. 

He put his hand on Lundy's cheek and turned it away, putting Lundy's attention back on the building they had under surveillance

and away from his choice of lunch for the day - meatless chili - an out and out sacrilege in Lundy's eyes.

He had just shoved another spoonful into his mouth when their suspect emerged from the building.

"See!" LaFiamma admonished. "There he is."

Lundy was already out of the Jimmy and heading toward their suspect, Billy Joe Green, a drug dealer. LaFiamma was faster on

his feet and got ahead of Green.

"Hold it Billy Joe!" LaFiamma ordered, both guns drawn.

Green halted and started to turn around, only to find Lundy behind him. LaFiamma approached Green cautiously, holstered one

of his guns and did a quick pat down search of Green, producing a gun and a bag of coke from his jacket. Lundy pushed him

up against the wall of the building and got his handcuffs out. As he cuffed Green's hands behind his back, LaFiamma started a

more thorough search, yielding some more coke and a razor blade from his shirt pocket. As LaFiamma checked Green's pants

legs, Green lashed out, kicking LaFiamma on the side of his head. Lundy shoved the man hard into the wall as LaFiamma

climbed to his feet. 

"Now, that there wasn't a nice thing to do, Billy Joe," Lundy whispered roughly at the man's ear.

"Not at all," LaFiamma added, grabbing Green's face, checking the punch he really wanted to throw, but couldn't, because

several people had appeared on the sidewalk.

"Come on, let's get him down to the station," Lundy said, bringing Green over to the unmarked car being used by the two other

detectives providing back up. 

LaFiamma followed and when he shut the door to the car, locking Green inside, Lundy saw some blood on his partner's

temple.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," LaFiamma replied, upset with himself as he rubbed at his temple.

"You sure?" Lundy asked, reaching over to check the wound for himself.

LaFiamma batted his hand away and yelled at his partner, "I'm fine, Lundy!"

But Lundy's concern didn't fade as he watched his partner walk to the Jimmy.

"LaFiamma!" he called.

"I said I was fine, Lundy," he said. "It was my own damn fault anyway. It shouldn't have happened."

"Well, let me look at it," Lundy said.

LaFiamma just batted his hand away again, saying, "Geez, Lundy, it's only a scratch. Let it be, will ya? Look around," he

added, gesturing to the street and the people still hanging about.

"Fine," Lundy gave in.

~~

"Well, well, well," Stevie remarked, watching the scene. "Frank, what do we know about Lundy's partner?"

"Joe LaFiamma, came down from Chicago a couple of years ago," he replied. "Heard he had some kind of Mafia hit out on him

or something," he added.

Stevie watched again through the binoculars as Lundy again tried to look at LaFiamma's wound.

'Looks like Lundy really cares about this partner, huh?' she thought to herself, smiling.

"Are we still gonna head out to his house?" Frank asked.

"Oh, definitely," Stevie replied. "What's the saying? 'I've got to see a man about a horse?' or something like that?" she asked.

"Something like that," he replied, putting the van into gear.

~~

LaFiamma and Lundy were back at the office, writing up the paperwork for their bust. Joanne walked by their desks.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Fine," Joe replied, continuing to type. "We got Billy Joe with some good stuff, AND, he sang like a bird. We're going down to

Mikey Wilcox's on Thursday. Billy Joe said he'll be getting a new shipment in that evening," he added, looking up.

"What happened to you?" Joanne asked, brushing the hair off Joe's forehead to take a look at the bruise he'd received.

"I got careless," he said, simply.

"No, you didn't," Lundy countered. "Billy Joe got stupid," he added.

"I got kicked in the head during the search," Joe explained, when Joanne gave him an expectant look.

"You sure you're okay?" Joanne asked.

"I'm fine," Joe replied, looking first at Joanne, then at Lundy.

"How about you?" Lundy asked Joanne. "You look whipped," he said, concern in his voice.

Joanne was about to answer, when Joe spoke up.

"Don't mind him, he's playing mother hen, today," he said with a smirk.

Joanne smiled at Joe, before answering Lundy's question.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," she said.

"What's up?" Joe asked, really looking at her, now, his own concern showing.

"Oh, nothing," she said dismissing them. "I've been getting prank calls for the past few days and nights. I put the answering

machine on, and every day it's full."

"Unplug the phone," Joe suggested.

"I would, but you know, my job here is never done," she responded, gesturing to the office in general.

"What kind of messages are you getting?" Lundy asked.

"That's just it," she replied, clearly frustrated. "Sometimes it's a woman, asking me if I want any sex. Other times it's a man,

asking me if I'd had any lately," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes they just hang up. I haven't got a clue who they are," she

finished.

"Maybe it's time for a new phone number," Joe remarked.

"If it keeps up tonight, I'll be down at the phone company first thing in the morning," she said. "I'll see you two tomorrow," she

added, heading to her office.

"That's some weird stuff," Joe commented.

Lundy just nodded his head and stared at Joe's forehead again.

"Will you just leave it alone?" LaFiamma complained. "I'm fine!"

~~

Several hours later Stevie and Frank watched the Jimmy pull up in front of LaFiamma's apartment building. They watched as

the two police detectives walked easily up the sidewalk.

"What a difference you can see when they're off duty," Stevie said to herself.

She focused her binoculars on the window, waiting for the light to come on. When it did, what she saw raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, this is even better than I hoped," she said as she saw Lundy pull LaFiamma toward him and kiss his temple. "Oh, yeah.

We can ditch the plans for Beaumont. LaFiamma's the one we want." she added, nodding her head.

~~

"I'm sorry, okay? I've just wanted to do this all day," Lundy said, kissing the small bruise on LaFiamma's temple. "I was just

worried, is all," he added, moving his kisses down to Joe's cheek.

"I know," Joe replied. "It's just that, well... We still gotta be careful. You know?"

Joe closed his eyes as Lundy kissed his way down to his jawline. Joe let out a low moan as he tilted his head to the side in

order to give Lundy better access to his throat.

"I couldn't help myself," Lundy said, licking and lightly nipping at the skin of his partner, feeling the moans Joe was making as

well as hearing them.

Joe gently took Lundy's chin and pulled it up, taking Lundy's mouth with his, stroking Lundy's lips with his tongue. Now it was

Lundy's turn to moan as Joe grabbed hold of his tongue and sucked it, gently drawing it into his own mouth. Lundy stepped

closer and put his arms around LaFiamma's hips, pulling him closer. Joe gladly complied, grinding his hips into Lundy's, feeling

Lundy's erection match his own in size and hardness. Joe opened his eyes and gazed at Lundy. The fiery desire he felt was

reflected back at him.

"I want you," Lundy rasped.

Joe backed away, a mischievous grin coming to his face.

"How bad?" he asked, still backing away.

"Bad," Lundy said in a deep throaty voice, advancing on LaFiamma.

Just as Lundy was about to grab him, Joe bolted for the stairs, calling, "Gotta catch me first!"

Lundy ran after him, taking the stairs two and three at a time. He tackled him just as Joe got into the bedroom and they landed

in a heap on the bed, Lundy on top of Joe's prone form. Lundy grabbed Joe's hands and held them down as he pushed down

with his hips, pressing his erection onto Joe' s ass. Joe let out a moan as he caught his breath.

"Is this what you want?" Lundy whispered in his ear. "Think it'll make you feel better?" he added.

Joe nodded silently to both questions, drinking in the kisses Lundy was placing behind his ear and on his neck….

~~ 

After taking showers and eating supper, Lundy reluctantly looked at his watch and sighed.

"I know," Joe said. "Fooler needs you," he added, responding to Lundy's unspoken statement.

"You want me to pick you up tomorrow morning?" Lundy asked, grabbing his jacket.

"If you don't mind. My car's still in the shop," Joe answered.

"I'll be here at eight," he said, giving Joe one last kiss before opening the door.

~~

"Well, he looks content," Stevie laughed as she watched Lundy come out of the apartment building. "Too bad we couldn't see

into that window," she added lasciviously. "Must have been some show."

Frank just shook his head, saying, "Whatever floats your boat, Stevie."

"Prude!" she chided, glancing over at her hired hand.

She glanced back at the street and saw that Lundy's Jimmy was gone. 

"Come on, let's do it," she said, all seriousness back in her voice.

Frank drove their van over to the parking space Lundy had just vacated. 

~~

Joe was finishing the dishes from dinner when he heard the doorbell ring. He dried his hands and walked to the door,

wondering who could be calling on him. He opened the door to find a harried looking middle aged woman.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked.

"Oh, I hope so," she said, wringing her hands. "My van broke down outside. I was wondering if I might use your phone to call

my husband. I'm already late picking up my kids from the movies and I don't want anything to happen to them and..."

Joe cut her off, saying, "Come on in," ushering her to the phone in the living room.

"Oh, thank you, so much," she said. 

As she followed Joe to the living room she reached inside her purse.

"Here you go," he said, turning to go back to the kitchen.

He smiled inwardly as he went into the kitchen, happy to do a good deed for the day and help the woman out. He was

surprised to find her behind him at the sink. He was even more surprised when he felt the butt of a pistol hit the side of his head,

right over the bruise he'd gotten earlier. Joe collapsed to the floor, dazed. As he tried to get up, wondering what the hell was

going on, Stevie lashed out with her boot, kicking him in the ribs first, then once more in the head. She toed Joe's still form,

making sure he was down for the count. Then she went to the door and motioned Frank to come up. She returned to the living

room and opened her purse up. She took out a camera and aimed it at Joe.

~~

Lundy parked the Jimmy and walked to the stable. He wished he'd had time enough for a ride, but not tonight. Maybe he'd get

a chance tomorrow morning if he got up early. He got a bucket of water and headed inside. He stopped short, dropping the

bucket, spilling it over the ground, when he saw his horse lying on her side, panting. 

"Fooler?" he called, rushing to the horse's side.

He checked her over, trying to find out what could be wrong, but found nothing. Lundy ran to the house and called the vet.

~~

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lundy," Dr. Miller said. "There was nothing I could do," she added, putting a hand on Lundy's shoulder.

"But what happened?" Lundy asked, still in a daze. "She was fine this morning.

"I don't know, Mr. Lundy," she said. "If you'd like, I can perform an autopsy in the morning," she offered.

"No, no that's alright," he replied. "Thanks for coming out," he continued, sighing as he walked Dr. Miller back to her truck.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, thanks," he answered.

"If you'd like, me and a couple of the boys from the office can stop by tomorrow to help with the body," she added.

"Yeah, that'll be great," Lundy said, looking back at the stall. "I'll give you a call in the morning."

Lundy watched the woman drive off before heading back to Fooler's body. He sat down in the hay next to the horse and cried,

running his fingers through her mane one last time. He sat and thought about all the quiet rides he'd had on the beast. He thought

about how taking a ride on her could minimize all his problems. He laughed at all the times he'd tried to get LaFiamma to ride.

Joe. He needed to call Joe and hear his voice. Tell him about Fooler. It was an hour later that Lundy finally headed into the

house. He went straight to the phone and dialed LaFiamma's number. He was surprised when he didn't get an answer, but

didn't think anything of it as he hung up the phone. Lundy headed for the kitchen and took out a six pack of beer. He brought it

to the living room and opened the first one up as he collapsed onto the couch.

~~

"Who the hell are you?" Joe slurred, trying to focus on the woman in front of him.

It was a difficult task since the room was spinning in time to the pounding of his head. 

Add a little nausea, Joe thought, and it would rival some of the better hangovers he'd had.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend of Levon's," Stevie replied, sitting on the bed.

Joe looked around at the room. It was a hotel room, probably one of the larger chains, Holiday Inn or Ramada, he thought. He

had vague memories of being in a van and being half-dragged and half-carried in. He pulled at his hands again. They were

handcuffed to the handles of the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony, locking the doors shut at the same time they kept

him immobile, sitting on the floor below.

"Okay, so what's the ransom?" Joe asked tiredly.

Stevie started to laugh as she got up off the bed. She walked over to Joe and stood in front of him.

"There is no ransom," she said, all signs of laughter gone. "Just some good old fashioned revenge," she added, backhanding Joe

across the face.

Joe kicked out, trying to hit Stevie, but she just stepped back out of the way.

"Ah-ah-ah!" she tsked. "You're not allowed to fight back," she seethed before bringing the heel of her boot down hard onto

Joe's kneecap.

Joe screamed out in pain, instinctively trying to draw the leg up toward his body. Stevie backhanded him again.

"And that's for screaming," she warned, ready to hit him again. 

He was breathing heavily, gasping for breath as the pain shot through his body, his ribs reminding him at that moment that they

hurt, too. He looked at the woman defiantly, trying to hold in his emotions. His headache seemed to have increased tenfold at

that moment and Joe soon welcomed its accompanying darkness.

~~ 

Lundy parked in front of Joe's apartment. It was 6:00 AM. He was two hours early. He hadn't slept much that night, despite

the six-pack. He figured Joe would be up by now, getting ready to work out or run before heading to work. He walked to the

door and knocked. 

"Okay, so maybe he's not up yet," Lundy said to himself, getting out the key he had to the door.

He stepped in and closed the door.

"LaFiamma? You awake, yet?" he called, walking through the quiet apartment. 

He padded up the stairs toward the bedroom, expecting to see Joe asleep in bed. Joe always looked so young and at ease with

himself when he was sleeping, he thought. He was confused when he found the empty bed.

"Joe?" he called out, checking the bathroom when he got back downstairs. "Can't be out running, his running shoes are still

here," he said to himself. 

Lundy continued to look around, wondering where LaFiamma had gone. He was starting to worry, remembering that he

couldn't get hold of him last night, when he spotted the envelope next to the phone. He went over to the table and picked it up.

His name was written on the outside. Lundy realized with trembling hands that it wasn't Joe's handwriting. He opened the

envelope and pulled out a Polaroid picture. Lundy collapsed onto the couch, shaking, as he looked at the picture of Joe, lying

unconscious on his kitchen floor, blood covering his face. On the bottom of the picture was written, "Looks like Joey went

down, Levon."

"Oh, God!" he whispered.He jumped when the phone rang. It rang three times before he was able to pick up the receiver.

"Hello?" he answered, trying to cover the tremor in his voice.

"Good morning, Levon!" Stevie greeted him. "How'd you like that shot of LaFiamma?" she asked. "I think I got his best side,

don't you?" she added.

"Who are you and what have you done to him?!" Lundy demanded, furious.

"All in due time, sugar," she replied. "We're gonna have some fun. I want to see who begs for mercy first, you or Joey."

"You bitch! Where is he?!" Lundy shouted.

"Now that's for me to know and you to find out, Levon," Stevie replied. "I'll keep you updated on his condition, though," she

added before hanging up.

Lundy stared at the phone still in his hand, breathless. He was about to hang up the receiver when realization hit. The woman

knew he was there. She knew he'd seen the photo. She had to be close by. He ran to the door and yanked it open, running

downstairs and outside to the street. He scanned the neighborhood, looking for anybody or anything out of place. He found

himself spinning in a small circle, not knowing where to look or what to do next.

~~ 

Joanne didn't want to answer the phone when it rang. Granted, it had been a quiet night, the first in several days that she didn't

receive any prank calls. But she still hesitated to answer and decided to let the machine pick up. She listened to her own voice

as it told the caller to please leave a message or call back some other time. Then she heard Lundy's voice. 

"Joanne, if you're there, pick up," he said.

Though no one else may have heard it, she realized, from knowing him for so long, that he was panic stricken. She ran to the

phone.

"I'm here, Levon," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Someone took him," he hurried out. "He's gone."

"What? Who?" Joanne asked, confused.

"She took Joe," he answered. "She left a picture and she called. She hurt him," he continued, starting to ramble.

"Where are you?" she asked, her tone of voice willing him to calm down, telling him that she was going to help him.

"LaFiamma's," he replied.

"Levon, stay right there," she ordered. "I'll be right there," she assured him.

She reluctantly hung up the phone, worried about Levon. Even more worried about LaFiamma, she grabbed her coat and keys

and headed out the door.

~~

Lundy looked at the picture again. 

"Oh, God, I can't lose you, too," he cried quietly, dropping his head onto the back of the couch.

Before he realized any time had elapsed, there was a knock at the door. He went to the door and looked through the peephole.

He saw Joanne and several police officers he recognized from the crime scene division. He opened the door and let them in.

"What happened, Levon?" Joanne asked.

"I came by to pick him up for work. When he didn't open the door, I went in," he began. 

"He wasn't here. I looked around and I found an envelope on the coffee table addressed to me. This was inside," he finished,

handing Joanne the photo.

"Oh, dear Lord," she whispered, looking at it.

"She called here, right after I opened it," Lundy continued. "She had to know when I got here. She had to have been nearby,

waiting for me to show up."

"What did she say? Is there a ransom?" Joanne asked.

Lundy shook his head, saying, "It's a fuckin' game. She said she wants to see who's gonna beg for mercy first, me or

LaFiamma."

"Okay," she directed to the crime scene team. "Let's get prints and photos from every room. Levon, take a look around. Let

me know if you see anything out of place, missing, whatever."

The team broke up, each taking a different room. When Lundy saw one heading for the stairs, he stopped him. Before he could

say anything, Joanne stepped in.

"We'll take upstairs," she said, taking the evidence kit from the officer. "You help Sanchez."

She and Lundy walked up the stairs to the bedroom. She watched Lundy walk around, checking things, making sure they were

in place. She saw him go to the wastebasket. She picked it up before he could. After looking inside she looked up at him.

"Yours or Joe's?" she asked quietly, motioning to the condom in the basket.

Lundy looked at her carefully, stunned at her question, but comforted at the same time by her soft tone.

"It's alright, Levon," she said. "I understand and I won't tell."

Lundy closed his eyes and nodded. "Mine," he admitted.

"Okay, bag it, get rid of it, whatever," she said. "It didn't exist."

"How long have you known?" Lundy asked, removing the evidence of his and LaFiamma's lovemaking.

"A couple of months," she answered.

"How come you never said anything?" he asked.

"Wasn't any of my business," she replied. "Figured you'd tell me when it was," she added.

~~

"Good afternoon, Joey!" Stevie greeted Joe, taking a picture of him.

He winced as the flash went off.

"You should have heard Lundy! He's so worried about you!" she teased.

Joe just glared at her. It was pretty hard to do since he could only see out of his left eye. 

The right was swollen shut from where she'd backhanded him the night before. 'She is one sadistic bitch,' he thought bitterly. He

wanted to call her all the names he could think of, both in English and Italian, but she'd put a gag in his mouth to keep him from

yelling out again. He barely prepared himself for the blow to his jaw when it hit him.

"I saw that look," she sneered. "I know what you were thinking," she added, kicking his sore knee. 

Joe squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe away the pain. 

~~ 

Joanne brought Lundy into her office and sat him down. She pushed a cup of coffee into his hands.

"We're going to find him, Levon," she said, trying to sound confident.

He nodded automatically, silently staring at the untouched cup he held.

"She's gonna kill him," he said.

"Not if we can help it," Joanne countered.

"She's the one who's been making the phone calls to your house," he began. "She killed Fooler last night," he continued before

Joanne cut him off.

"What?!" she cried.

"Fooler's dead. Stephanie Mills killed her," he answered, matter-of-factly.

"Stephanie Mills?" Joanne asked, confused.

"It's her. I know it," Lundy said. "Only woman I know sick enough to do all this."

"Wait a minute," Joanne began. "Isn't she the one you arrested for murder about, what, seven years ago?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "They dropped the charges down to manslaughter. Said she didn't intend to kill her john, only make him

hurt."

"That's right, she was a high priced prostitute. Her clients were the type that liked it a little on the rough side," Joanne thought

aloud.

"Lundy!" Esteban yelled out.

Lundy and Joanne left her office and met Esteban at his desk. He was holding out a manila envelope. Lundy took it, reading his

name on the outside. It was otherwise unmarked. He opened it slowly. Inside was a single Polaroid picture. He hesitated

before reaching in. Joanne put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he finally took the picture out, carefully holding it by its

edges. He looked at the picture of Joe and sank down onto Esteban's chair. It showed Joe, splayed out on the floor, hands

cuffed above his head to sliding glass door handles. His face was bruised, swollen and bloody. Blood trailed down his arms

from where the cuffs dug into his wrists. His shirt was covered in his blood as well. Joanne, her hand still on Lundy's shoulder,

gave him a reassuring squeeze, as she herself took a deep breath, reading the message at the bottom of the photo, "I bet Joey

usually likes handcuffs, Levon."

"It appears to be a hotel room," Esteban remarked, looking at the photo.

Joanne and Lundy both nodded, agreeing. 

"Esteban, put this into evidence and get a copy, minus the message, for the case file," Joanne ordered. "Start checking around

at the local hotels. See who's got curtains like these. See if any of them have guests under the name Stephanie Mills," she

added.

As Esteban headed out, Lundy moved over to his own desk. He booted up the computer and started searching for information

about Stephanie Mills.

~~

When Joe woke up next, it was dark. Someone had kicked at his feet.

"Come on, cop, time to wake up," Frank said, standing over him.

Joe tried to open his eyes. He was barely able to open the left one. The right was still completely swollen shut. He let out a low

groan.

"Let's go, I don't have all night," Frank complained.

Joe lifted his head and looked at the man, squinting, trying to focus better. He watched curiously as the man reached for the

handcuffs.

"You try anything and you'll regret it," he warned, unlocking them.

Joe's arms slumped painfully down to his sides, the blood rushing back into them causing pins and needles. He shut his eyes

against the pain and stiffness. Frank hauled him to his feet and pushed him towards the bathroom. 

"Come on, we wouldn't want you to have an accident or anything, now, would we?" he sighed, clearly not liking his job.

Joe collapsed to the floor, his injured knee failing to hold his weight. He tried to get up but the room started spinning again. The

swirls of light penetrating his swollen eyelids made him nauseous. He pulled the gag out of his mouth, hoping that it would help.

Frank grabbed him and dragged him by the loose cuff, muttering aloud about how he hated this job. He left Joe on the

bathroom floor.

Joe lurched for the toilet, dry heaves wracking his body, blood and bile dripping from his mouth and nose. When his stomach

stopped turning, he sat on the floor and leaned against the cool tub holding his sides. 

"If you gotta go, you better do it now," Frank warned. "Don't know when you'll get another chance," he added.

Joe nodded his head slightly. He heard the door to the hotel room open and saw Stevie enter. An idea came to him and he was

just about to slam the bathroom door shut, to lock himself in, when she shoved her foot in the door.

"Oh, come now, Joey," she admonished. "We're gonna have some fun, now! You wouldn't want to miss out, would you?" she

asked, not expecting an answer. 

She grabbed him by the hair and started to drag him out of the bathroom. Frank helped her by grabbing Joe's arms when he

had started to resist. 

"Over to the bed," Stevie instructed.

They dragged Joe to one of the beds and secured the handcuffs around the spindles in the center of the headboard. Joe cried

out as Frank tightened the cuff back around his sore wrist. 

"Turn him over," Stevie ordered.

"No! Please!" Joe cried out, struggling against the cuffs, making his wrists bleed again.

Frank grabbed his waist and shoulder and turned Joe over so that he was face down on the mattress. Joe screamed. Even

Frank winced at the sickening crunch of bones breaking in Joe's wrist after the cuff twisted and tightened around it. Stevie

quickly shoved the gag, still around Joe's neck, back into his mouth.

"Oops," was all she said about the broken wrist as she gleefully watched the tears stream down Joe's cheeks. "It's picture time

again," she said.

~~ 

Lundy sat at the computer, going through the information again. He rubbed at his tired eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

He'd gotten a list of all the aliases Stephanie Mills had used as a prostitute and given them and pictures of her to the other

detectives working the case. They'd been checking those names against registered guests in hotels throughout Houston. Lundy

knew it might take days for them to get to every hotel in the city. He just hoped that they'd get lucky sooner.

"Levon," Joanne called from her office, putting her coat on.

"I ain't leaving," he said, cutting off any order or argument she might have for him.

"Then at least rest," she said. "Go to my office. Close the door. Put your head down for a little bit," she offered, putting her

hands on his shoulders, massaging them. 

"I can't," he started to say before she cut him off.

"You have to," she countered. "You're not going to be able to think straight if you don't. Joe needs you with a clear head."

He looked up at her then. Saw the sorrow in her eyes that mirrored his own. 

"He doesn't even know I love him," he told her.

"Yes, he does, Levon," she countered.

"I never told him. I never said the words," he said. "I was afraid to admit it. But not him," he added, shaking his head. "He told

me every chance he could."

"He knows, Levon," she soothed. "Now come on," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the chair. "At least come

down to the cafeteria and get something to eat with me," she said.

"Okay," he ceded, following her out of the office.

As they got to the lobby of the building, they saw the desk officer talking to a deliveryman. The officer looked up and saw

Lundy.

"Hey Lundy!" he called. "These are for you!" he yelled, motioning to a floral box he'd just signed for.

Joanne and he immediately rushed over.

"Stay here," Joanne told the deliveryman as Lundy opened the box.

Inside was a bouquet of pansies and a sealed envelope. Lundy opened the envelope and took out the picture. He quickly

shoved it back into the envelope and turned to the deliveryman.

"I want to know who sent these," he demanded. "Everything you know!" he shouted, grabbing the man by the collar.

"I just deliver them!" he stammered, fear in his eyes. "You'll have to talk to my boss!" he added.

Joanne grabbed Lundy's hand, releasing the deliveryman from his grasp. She gently shoved Lundy back and away from the

man. 

"Doug," she directed to the desk officer. "Please get some information from this gentleman. Name, address, the usual stuff. We

need to find out who sent these flowers," she instructed.

"Sure, Lieutenant," he replied.

Joanne reached over to the box, looking at Lundy as she grabbed the envelope. Inside was another Polaroid. Joe was

handcuffed to a bed, face down, nude. Several tools of Stevie's former trade were strewn about the bed. On the bottom of the

picture was written, "Look familiar, Levon?"

"Oh, my God," Joanne gasped. "I know where he is."

"What!? Where!?" Lundy demanded, looking up sharply at her.

"The Downtown Ramada," she said, heading for the main doors, Lundy on her heel.

"How do you know?" he asked, following her to her car.

"The picture above the bed," she began, starting the car. "Joe Bill worked a stakeout at the Downtown Ramada a couple of

months ago. He told me about the ugliest painting he'd ever seen in a hotel room. A sad clown with some popped balloons,"

she finished, looking at Lundy as he looked at the Poloroid again.

He saw the painting above the bed, the same one Joe Bill described to Joanne. He got on the police radio and called all the

units involved in the search for LaFiamma and ordered them to head to the Downtown Ramada.

~~

"We got company coming, Stevie," Frank said, looking through sliding glass doors.

"What?!" she asked. "How could they find us so soon?" she muttered aloud, clearly upset and disappointed.

She went to the doors and watched as several police cars pulled up in front of the hotel.

"I'm outta here, Stevie," Frank said, gathering his possessions from the room, tucking his gun into his shoulder holster.

"The job's not done, Frank," Stevie warned.

"You wanna kill him, go ahead," he said, heading for the door. "My part of this just ended," he added leaving.

Stevie paced the room, unsure of what to do next. She looked at the still form lying on the bed and smiled as her plan came to

her. She walked over to LaFiamma and leaned in close.

"This isn't over, Joey," she whispered into his ear. "I'll be seeing you and Levon again. And next time it's gonna hurt a whole lot

more," she added, raking her long, sharp nails down his back.

~~ 

When questioned about the painting, the hotel manager, Mr. Carroll, told Joanne and Lundy that probably one fourth of the

rooms had that particular one. He also said, he didn't know which rooms in particular had it. They'd have to do a room to room

search. Esteban had just gotten there to check the names on the hotel registry against the list of aliases Lundy had come up

with, when the call came through for everyone else to go there. 

"I want every door covered," Joanne ordered. No one gets out without being ID'd."

"Any of the names match up, Esteban?" Lundy asked.

"No," he replied. "We're going to have to go room to room."

"Okay," Joanne began. "Mr. Carroll, we're going to need to check and key into every room. We'll need to have a staff person

with keys with each search team," she finished.

She then organized all the responding officers and teamed them up with a hotel staff person, assigning them to the different

floors and wings of the hotel.

~~

Joanne and Lundy teamed up with the hotel manager and started checking rooms on the second floor. They'd found several

with the same curtains and picture shown in the Polaroids, but no sign of LaFiamma or Stephanie Mills. Lundy was talking with

the guests of one of the rooms when Joanne called him.

"Levon! I've got him!" he heard her shout.

As he ran to the room across the hall, he heard her call on the radio and tell the other officers that they had found Joe. Joanne

was checking Joe's neck for a pulse when he got into the room. He stopped and stood at the foot of the bed, emotions torn.

Relief at finding LaFiamma, but fear that it was too late. He looked at Joanne expectantly. 

"He's alive, but I think he's in shock," she told him, getting a blanket from the other bed.

"We need paramedics up in room two forty three, now!" he shouted into his radio, before helping Joanne with the blanket.

He went to the head of the bed and knelt down.

"LaFiamma? Joe?" he called softly, tears forming as he pushed the hair out of Joe's eyes.

Joanne reached over from the other side of the bed and unlocked the handcuffs, lowering Joe's arms down to the mattress.

"Careful, Levon, his left wrist is badly broken," she said as he reached out to try to hold his hand.

~~

Joe heard someone calling his name. 'Was it Lundy? Couldn't be,' he thought. Then he heard it again. As he started to regain

consciousness, the aches and pains in his body let themselves be known again. His wrist felt as if it was on fire. He vaguely

remembered it breaking and let out a moan as someone moved it.

"Joe?" Lundy called again getting a soft moan for a reply. "It's alright, now, Joe," he soothed. "You're safe. She ain't gonna hurt

you no more," he added. Joanne heard commotion outside the room and went to the hall, closing the door a bit, to afford

Lundy and LaFiamma some privacy.

~~

Joe tried to open his eyes to see his partner, and at that moment in time, savior. He blinked painfully at the light. Lundy, he saw,

was crying.

"Levon," Joe whispered. "Levon," he repeated, unable to form any other words. 

Lundy, unable to just kneel next to his partner any longer, carefully sat on the bed and pulled Joe into his arms, wrapping the

blanket around him. He started rocking him gently, comforting not only LaFiamma but himself, as well.

When Joanne returned to the room she found the two on the bed. Her own tears shedding now, as she was allowed to see the

affection the two had for each other for the first time. She saw that Joe was at least semi-conscious, now. He was crying softly,

and Lundy was trying to ease his pain. 

"Ssshh, it's alright, Joe," Lundy soothed, kissing Joe's forehead.

Joe reached out with his right hand and searched for Lundy. Lundy grabbed his hand gently and held it. 

"I'm right here," he said.

"She said she was gonna come back," Joe whispered.

Esteban showed the paramedics into the room just as Lundy was about to reassure Joe, to tell him that he wouldn't let her hurt

him again. They brought the stretcher over next to the bed and Lundy reluctantly started to hand Joe over to their care. Joe

would not release Lundy's hand, though.

"It's alright, LaFiamma," he said, being more formal now, in the presence of others. "The paramedics need to check you out.

They're gonna take real good care of you," he explained.

Lundy felt Joanne's arm go around his shoulders and he leaned into her for comfort as the paramedics exposed Joe's battered

body. He watched as they took his vital signs and checked him over for injuries, seeing some of them for the first time, himself.

A few minutes later, after they'd bandaged his wounds and splinted his wrists and knee, they placed him on the stretcher. 

Esteban cleared the hallway of the officers still there, waiting for news on Joe's condition. He saw as their expressions changed

from impatient and concerned to anger. They had seen Joe's battered face under the bandages and oxygen mask. They saw the

hurt and fear on Lundy's as he followed the stretcher down the hall.

"Lieutenant," Esteban called. "Here's the information from the hotel registry," he said, handing Joanne a piece of paper. "Show's

the room registered under the name Bobby Hill. Mr. Carroll doesn't remember any woman being a guest here. He's giving a

description of this 'Bobby Hill' to Joe Bill. Plates on the car registered came back stolen out of Dallas last week. We've already

got an APB out on it," he reported.

"No sign of Stephanie Mills?" she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

He just shook his head. 

~~ 

Lundy waited impatiently in the waiting room of the Emergency Department. Several people had left the area, fearful of the

tense detective, to find other places to wait for news about their own loved ones. Lundy didn't care if he'd hurt their feelings.

Right now, all he cared about was one person. One very special person, who'd been hurt because of him. Even he knew that

was an irrational thought. He knew that Stephanie Mills was the one to blame. The only one to blame for hurting Joe, but

dammit, he knew she did it to get back at him. He looked up again at the doorway, probably for the hundredth time, looking

for someone to bring him news. This time a doctor headed his way.

"Detective Lundy?" the doctor asked.

"Yes. How's LaFiamma?" he asked urgently.

"He was beaten pretty severely," the doctor began. "But I think he'll be just fine," he finished.

Lundy smiled and the tension visibly left his body at the doctor's remark.

"Can I see him?" he asked.

"Not yet, I'm afraid," the doctor replied. "He's on his way over to radiology, now. The orthopedists want a few more x-rays."

"What kind of injuries did he sustain?" Lundy asked.

"Mostly bruises. Several on his face and abdomen," the doctor began listing. "He's got a mild concussion, a couple of bruised

ribs, his knee cap was dislocated and his left wrist badly broken. The right wrist isn't broken, but severely sprained. Both wrists

were also lacerated, by handcuffs, I was told."

Lundy nodded, confirming the doctor's information. He took a deep breath before asking his next question.

"Was there any evidence of any 'other' abuse?" he asked.

The doctor looked at Lundy, confused for a second before realizing what he was asking.

"No, no we didn't find any signs," the doctor replied.

"Thanks," Lundy said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"I'll have someone let you know when you can see your partner," the doctor told him before heading back down the hall.

~~

Several hours later, Lundy was sitting at LaFiamma's bedside. He watched his partner, aided by a mixture of painkillers and

sedatives, sleep. Joe let out a quiet whimper and turned his head. Lundy gently brushed the stray locks out of Joe's eyes and

caressed his forehead, quieting him, letting him know that he was safe and that his partner was there for him. Joanne and

Esteban, as well as several other officers not actively searching for Stephanie Mills had stopped by to check on LaFiamma.

He'd given them updates on Joe's condition and said he'd tell Joe that they'd stopped by. He also checked on the

investigation. Joanne told him that Stephanie Mills and her partner, 'Bobby Hill' or whatever his real name was, were long

gone. APB's were put out across the nation for the pair. He looked up as he heard his name called, ever so quietly.

"Levon?" Joe called.

"I'm right here," he answered softly, gently taking Joe's right hand into his own.

"You okay?" Joe asked, trying unsuccessfully to focus beyond his swollen eyelids to see his partner.

Lundy chuckled softly and kissed Joe's hand before answering, "I ain't the one in the hospital bed, LaFiamma."

"I know," Joe replied. "I mean, here," he said, slowly lifting his hand and placing his fingers on Lundy's temple.

Lundy leaned into the hand and held it with his own. 

"I am now," he replied.

"I love you," Joe said, tears coming to his eyes.

"I love you, too," Lundy responded, leaning down to kiss away Joe's tears. "That's what kept me going. And I'm sorry," he

added. "I should have told you sooner."

"I knew," Joe replied. "That's what kept me going."

The End

   [1]: mailto:mcat40@hotmail.com



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